Classic French Metal

ContentFeeling inspired by recent threads, I figured I’d make one of my own to present some bands from my country. We actually had a pretty kickass scene back in the day. I’ve made a similar thread last year following the regional metal trend, but I am not satisfied with it since it was just a collection of youtube links. I’ll try to make this one a little more in-depth, and focus and the Traditional/Speed Metal scene, which is the most well-known. There are many other genres and eras to be covered (especially Black Metal with Les Légions Noires) but I’ve got to admit I don’t know much about them and this thread is going to be long enough as it is. Please excuse grammar mistakes, I’m not used to write walls of texts in English.

French bands were never as popular as British or American ones here, this is primarily what led to the demise of the scene. It was also mostly Traditional Metal, the French generally failed to adapt to the rise of Thrash Metal. I think what defined the French sound was its inspiration from rock and early heavy metal (think ‘70s Judas Priest), which influenced many bands. So much so that most Metal was called, and still is by metalheads from this era, Hard Rock.

I’m going to start with Trust. Trust was undeniably the most popular band in France during the early ‘80s. Even today, everybody knows the words of Antisocial. The English version was famously covered by Anthrax in their State of Euphoria album. Back in the day, every “hard rocker” was a fan of Trust. The band had connections with bands like AC/DC and Iron Maiden too. The album Repression (1980), which featured Antisocial, was dedicated to the memory of Bon Scott who was a friend of the band and who helped translate some songs. They also opened for Iron Maiden in 1980 and even shared the stage with them in 1983. Nicko McBrain was the drummer of Trust before he joined Maiden in 1983, and Clive Burr played with Trust when he left Maiden in 1982. Part of what made them popular is the agressivity of their lyrics, very punkish, left-wing, anticapitalist and anti-bourgoisie. Other popular songs include Préfabriqués, Le Mitard (a song which sparked controversy because it defended the public enemy n°1 of the time, Jacques Mesrine), Bosser Huit Heures and Marche ou Crève.

Now that we got the behemoth out of the way, let’s start with the less-known but just as good (if not better) bands. First, Sortilège. In my opinion the best French Heavy Metal band, and one of the best in the whole genre. It was Chuck Schuldiner’s favorite band, and the song Evil Dead from Death's debut featured the great intro from Amazone.

Their self titled EP (1983) was quite popular in France, but also in Germany, which prompted them to record an English version. Their two following albums were also available in English, mainly for German fans. Stick to the French versions though, they sound better. In 1984 they signed with Devil’s Records, a French label which featured many French bands of the time, and released Métamorphose, another success for the band. But despite critical acclaim, fans didn’t enjoy Larmes de Héros (1986) as much, in which the band had taken a much more melodic and progressive approach. The peak in popularity in French Metal had passed, and fans now preferred faster and heavier music. The band split up shortly after.

Another driving force of the French metal scene was ADX, which played Speed Metal. I previously said that fans wanted to hear faster music, and this is where they went. ADX was heavier than Sortilège while keeping a sense of melody. Execution (1985) was very popular. This album remains to this day one of the best examples of pure Speed Metal ever released. If you like Agent Steel this should be right up your alley. La Terreur (1986) is just as good and was very well received by fans. The same can be said for Suprématie (1987). Growing more and more popular, the band signed with Noise Records and released an album in English, Weird Visions, in 1991. But they did not encounter the kind of success they had hoped for : Noise did not do anything to market the album, and French fans were a little distraught by the change. They decided to split up in 1992. They reunited in 1997 and released 4 albums since then. [Division Blindée (2008)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShVL2Uyj2g) is popular, avoid the others. Ultimatum (2014) is the best one since Suprématie.

Those three bands were the most popular in the French scene. The bands I’m going to talk about now are also great, but did not encounter the kind of success these three did. I’m also going to be less extensive about them, the thread’s already getting a bit long.

Blasphème is probably the only band which I would compare to Sortilège in terms of quality. Blasphème (1983) is pretty hit or miss, but Désir de Vampyr (1985) is excellent (I mean listen to that riff after the doomy part, pure bliss). They split up in 1986, reformed in 2007 and released an album in 2010, but it’s nothing special.
High Power’s up there too. Their style is rawer than Sortilège or Blasphème while remaining quite catchy. They released two albums : High Power (1983) and Les Violons de Satan (1986), both of them acclaimed by the critics. They split up in 1987.
Warning was a popular band, more so than the two above. They played faster than most of the bands in the scene. Warning (1981) is a great little EP which sold very well. Warning (1982) is just as good but wasn’t as popular for some reason. They released Métamorphose in 1984 with a few lineup changes before calling it quits in 1985.
H-Bomb’s blend of Heavy Metal was fast and catchy. Coup de Metal (1983) sold well in France and in the Netherlands, and was acclaimed by French, Dutch, German and English critics. They were known for spectacular and energetic shows. Attaque (1984) was also really popular and its success allowed them to play in big European festivals. They split up in 1986 due to internal conflicts (starting to see a pattern?).
Killers have an extensive discography. Most of it is good but the first few Le Fils de la Haine (1985), Danger de Vie (1986) and Mise aux Poings (1987) are the best. Cités Interdites (1991) and Contre-Courant (1995) are popular among fans, but I personally prefer the first ones. They lean towards the Speed Metal end of the spectrum, and the singer’s voice is unique and great on the early albums. There’s not a lot of songs from them on YouTube though, so you’ll have to search quite a bit to listen to them.
Demon Eyes released three albums, but their first one, Rites of Chaos (1984) is the most popular. They played Speed Metal with a melodic side. A bit like ADX but not as fast, and not as good. The follow up Garde à Vue (1987) is heavier and a better album.
Satan Jokers had more of a Glam sound. Les Fils du Métal (1983) wasn’t well received by critics but was quite successful in France. Trop Fou pour Toi (1984) was more commercial and received better by critics but wasn’t as successful commercially as the first one. III (1985) returned to a “heavier sound”. They split up in 1986. I never liked this band.
Anthracite is a cult band. Not because of their popularity, and not because they were awesome either. Their 1987 album Plus Précieux que l’Or (their only release) is one of the rarest Metal albums ever. The number of pressings is estimated as about 20, and it often reaches $500 to $1000 on eBay. It’s getting repressed this fall on No Remorse records though, along with quite a few classic French albums.
Vulcain was basically Motörhead worship, and they were quite popular back in the day. They released several albums, but their 1984 effort Rock ‘n’ Roll Secours is the most well-known. Desperados is also a good album.
Attentat Rock’s hard rock influence was more obvious than their counterparts. At least at the beginning. Their first album, Attentat Rock (1981) benefited from good reviews but wasn’t very successful. With Le Gang des Saigneurs (1984), their sound evolved towards a faster heavy metal style. It was a better album, and a more successful one. They released an album in English, Strike, in 1985 before splitting up.
Voie de Fait only released one album, Ange ou Démon (1982), but a good one.
Der Kaiser was never very successful. They released two albums, Vautours (1984) and La Griffe de l’Empire (1985) before splitting up in 1986.
Charter only released a demo, Turbo Metal (1984) and it’s good. It’s Speed Metal in the vein of Demon Eyes.
Witchcraft only released a demo in 1983 and it’s a shame because they had potential. It’s pure Traditional Metal, and really catchy. Their demo was well received by specialized press. They had a record deal in the Netherlands but it sadly never became anything. They split up in 1984.
Voodoo Child released a great album, Adrénaline, in 1985. But reviews were mediocre and it did not sell well. Maybe because of the singer’s unique style. It’s catchy like many other French bands, and very competent. A bit darker than most of their counterparts as well.
Strattson played Heavy/Speed Metal with some Thrashy bits here and there. The singer is great, he has a deeper voice but can still deliver falsettos easily. Their only album, Ouf Metal (1984), is well worth listening to.
Steel Angel was a bit different. It’s Power Metal but sounds more USPM than European. And it’s in English. … and the Angels Were Made of Steel (1985) is a good album.
Morsüre’s a crazy band. Their sound was really unique and they played lightning-fast Thrash. They were definitely ahead of their time. Acceleration Process (1985) was quite controversial. It was marketed as “ultra violent” and “the fastest album in the world”. The production is really bad though, and they used an electronic drum kit which isn’t everybody’s thing. The guys from Nunslaughter liked them and reissued the album as well as the demo (recorded with actual drums!) in 2007 through Hell’s Headbangers records.

This is all I’ve got. I’m only scratching the surface here, but I think I covered the most important ones. If you’d like to know more about classic French Metal, France Metal Museum is a great resource. It’s in French though. Thanks for reading!